


Levelheaded

by ToxicPineapple



Series: Amasai Week 2021 [3]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Amasai Week, Amasai Week 2021, Angst, But sometimes people argue with their guardians, Crushes, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, It happens, M/M, Mutual Pining, Saimami Week, Saimami week 2021, Shuichi's uncle is good, breakdowns, i prommy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-24 20:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30078015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: It’s dark outside, but whenever they pass a street lamp, the yellowed lights stream in through the window and cast shadows on Saihara’s face. Even at this proximity, Amami can’t see his eyes, or the way his jaw is set. It’s difficult to tell what he’s thinking. Or at least, it would be, if Amami didn’t have an inkling about why Saihara called him to come get picked up. This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that Saihara has gotten into a fight with his uncle-- though it’s the first time that it’s gotten bad enough for him to have to leave-- and from the way Saihara’s voice sounded over the phone, shaking with barely restrained anger, Amami could hazard a guess.It’s… stressful, fighting with family. Amami knows the feeling well, from all his screaming fests with his father-- though he’s pretty sure he’s past those by now, thankfully-- and it’s not something he would wish on anybody he cares about, that’s for sure.---Amami picks Saihara up after a fight with his uncle.---Amasai week day three: Family/Forgiveness
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Saihara Shuichi
Series: Amasai Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2212905
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	Levelheaded

**Author's Note:**

> written for day three of amasai week! the prompt i used was "family"

Amami spots Saihara standing on the corner of the sidewalk, his arms wrapped around himself, and leans forward to point the detective out to Daichi, which grunts wordlessly and drives the car on over. Amami relaxes into his seat again, but his leg is bouncing, and his gaze remains trained on Saihara, who is shifting from side to side, his hat pulled over his eyes. It’s too dark, and they’re too far away for Amami to know what sort of expression Saihara is making, but he can’t imagine that it’s a good one. He sounded fairly distraught over the phone, after all.

The moment Daichi has stopped the car, Amami undoes his seatbelt and slides himself onto the side facing the curb, opening the door and sticking out his head. “Hey, Saihara-kun,” he calls, voice raised enough for Saihara to hear him from here, but hopefully not enough to startle him, “get in.”

Thankfully, Saihara doesn’t seem too shaken by their appearance, nodding his head and silently approaching the car. Amami slides back into his seat and hooks his fingers around his seat belt, waiting for Saihara to have closed the car door and buckled himself in before he does the same. He shoots Daichi a thumbs up in the rearview mirror, and so Daichi pulls off the curb, starting back on the route to Amami’s house.

It’s dark outside, but whenever they pass a street lamp, the yellowed lights stream in through the window and cast shadows on Saihara’s face. Even at this proximity, Amami can’t see his eyes, or the way his jaw is set. It’s difficult to tell what he’s thinking. Or at least, it would be, if Amami didn’t have an inkling about why Saihara called him to come get picked up. This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that Saihara has gotten into a fight with his uncle-- though it’s the first time that it’s gotten bad enough for him to have to leave-- and from the way Saihara’s voice sounded over the phone, shaking with barely restrained anger, Amami could hazard a guess.

It’s… stressful, fighting with family. Amami knows the feeling well, from all his screaming fests with his father-- though he’s pretty sure he’s past those by now, thankfully-- and it’s not something he would wish on anybody he cares about, that’s for sure. Saihara loves his uncle, too, hell,  _ likes  _ him even, so that must make it even harder on him, to be fighting like this. Amami isn’t even entirely sure what the cause is. Despite being relatively open, Saihara is selective with the details he shares about these fights, believing discretion to be required when it comes to family matters (and of course, Amami can relate) and so Amami… really doesn’t know what’s going on with his friend.

Amami would like to ask Saihara if he wants to talk, but not with Daichi in the car. That can wait until they’ve reached the estate. What Amami  _ really  _ wants to do is to reach across the space between them and take Saihara’s hand, but… receptive as Saihara has been to comforting touches like that in the past, his shoulders are tense, right now, his hands clenched into fists in his lap. It’s as though he’s erected a wall between them, and Amami isn’t quite sure how to go about knocking it down.

There isn’t a time limit on it, though, thankfully, so Amami dog ears the thought for now and turns his gaze out the window, lest Saihara notice his eyes on him. All this with Saihara has served as an appropriate distraction from his claustrophobia, which is appreciated, if not ideal. Amami can’t stop his leg from bouncing, though, which is a habit that Saihara usually displays, not Amami, but right now Saihara is insanely still, the only indication that he’s even alive being the gentle rising and falling of his chest. It’s strange to see him like this, but not too foreign, Amami supposes. He’s seen Saihara angry before.

Before long, Daichi pulls the car up at the front of the estate, and Amami thanks him, slipping out on his side and then rushing around to Saihara’s to grab the door for him. As Saihara steps out, he tilts up the brim of his hat and offers Amami a smile, but it’s thin, tight lipped, and it barely touches his eyes. Still, it’s better than nothing. Amami smiles back, even as the sight of Saihara’s expression makes his heart squeeze. He really hates seeing Saihara like this.

One of the maids is there to answer the door, when Amami steps onto the porch, and he thanks her quietly as he leads Saihara inside, before dismissing her to do whatever it was that she was doing before. Amami requested that his father give him space before going to pick up Saihara, so he doubts there will be any other interruptions.

Still, Amami waits until they’ve both switched into indoor shoes, and until Saihara has shed his jacket and removed his hat, before he speaks.

“How’re you feeling, Saihara-kun?” He keeps his voice soft, and gentle, looking steadily at his friend, trying to read his expression. Even with the hat off, Saihara refuses to meet his gaze, his brows knitting together, his grey eyes trained on the floor. It really is difficult to tell what he’s thinking, which makes Amami think that he must still be angry about the fight. He deigns to wait until Saihara speaks, steeling his shoulders and preparing himself to listen to an angry rant.

What he gets instead, a moment later, is a wobble of Saihara’s lip, and a watery little noise, before he pitches forward into Amami’s arms, his shoulders shaking with barely suppressed sobs. Amami’s eyes go a bit wide, but he shifts to accommodate Saihara’s weight, wrapping his arms around his friend and pulling him in close. Saihara isn’t even wearing his  _ binder,  _ that’s how much of a rush he must’ve left the house in. Amami’s heart gives another one of those pathetic little squeezes, and he matches it with a squeeze around Saihara’s middle, tucking his chin over his shoulder.

Saihara is shaking, crying nearly quietly, sniffling every so often. Amami can feel his hands fisting in the back of his shirt, warm tears soaking into his shoulder. Amami doesn’t mind, not even a little, but it’s upsetting to hear Saihara crying like this, so transparently frustrated, nearly trembling as he weeps into Amami’s chest.

“S-Sorry,” Saihara manages, his breath hitching, lifting his head from Amami’s shoulder to cough wetly. “I-I was trying not to break down in the car, I didn’t want to embarrass your chauffeur.”

“Daichi can take it,” Amami says, but it’s probably for the better that Saihara  _ did  _ manage to keep it together, then; Daichi is more of the stoic type. He probably wouldn’t know how to comfort a crying teen. “It’s fine, Saihara-kun, I don’t mind.” He rubs Saihara’s back. He really  _ doesn’t  _ mind, not even a little bit, even if it hurts to hear Saihara sounding so upset. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s just--” Saihara cuts himself off, hugging Amami tighter for a moment, shuddering a couple times before he manages to speak again. “I h-hate-- I hate arguing with Akifumi, but it’s been so  _ hard  _ recently, I-I don’t even know what the problem is, and I can’t help thinking-- what if he…”

Admittedly, Amami is a bit embarrassed now. What he’d read as anger before was likely just Saihara trying to hold in his guilt and sadness until they were in private. But this is hardly time to be thinking about it. “No, Saihara-kun, I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to move out,” Amami murmurs, and despite his uncertainty about everything tonight, he knows  _ this  _ for a fact. As much as it upsets him to see Saihara so torn up over these things, Amami trusts that his uncle is a good person. He’s witnessed how much Akifumi cares for his nephew firsthand. “No good parental figure would kick you out over a couple fights.”

“It’s not just a  _ couple  _ fights,” Saihara retorts, sniffling. He lifts his head and wipes one of his cheeks, looking up at Amami with watery, red eyes. He looks so upset. Amami rolls his lower lip between his teeth and lifts a hand to cup the back of Saihara’s head. “A-And I wouldn’t blame him, y’know? I’m not his son, he’s just my uncle, he never signed up to care for me… I’m not his responsibility.”

_ I would blame him,  _ Amami considers saying, before dismissing the thought. Not helpful right now. “Regardless, he’s not going to kick you out,” Amami assures instead, his voice gentle, stroking his fingers through Saihara’s hair. Saihara’s eyelids flutter a little, tears catching in his lashes, and he leans into the touch, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. “I’ll let him know that you’re safe, and then you can stay the night here, okay? I’ll lend you a change of clothes to sleep in, and we can eat some ice cream before we go to bed. In the morning, you and your uncle can talk things out.”

Saihara lets out a little huff, but he doesn’t seem genuinely annoyed. When his eyes open again, there are more tears welling in them, a couple leaking down his cheeks, which are red and splotchy from all the crying. “You’re always so levelheaded,” he murmurs.

“Not so,” Amami protests, chuckling. “You’ve seen me during an episode.” Saihara has. It’s pretty ugly. Saihara’s expression only softens at that, though, so maybe he doesn’t think so. (For some reason.) “It’s easier to be calm when I’m with you. Even if I hate seeing you in pain.” He brushes his thumb under Saihara’s eye, catching a couple tears. “I want to help you feel better, Saihara-kun. You always manage to do that for me.”

That brings a smile out of Saihara, the first genuine one he’s worn all evening, even as more tears spill down his face. “I try to,” he says, his voice faint, wobbly. “You’re my best friend, so I…” he sniffles, and hiccups, speaking up again after trailing off for a moment. “I’m happy to do that for you, a-and I really appreciate it when you can do it for me, so…”

He’s practically sobbing again. “Let it out, Saihara-kun,” Amami says, his voice soft. He shifts his hand from Saihara’s head to wrap back around his shoulders, bringing him in close. “I’ve got you. You can let it out.”

Saihara tries to say something to that, but it comes out choked up and incoherent, so he just buries his face into Amami’s shirt again, and Amami hugs him tight, pressing a dry kiss to the top of his head.

If Saihara notices, or minds, he doesn’t say anything about it, which is good. It’s not really a conversation they should be having while Saihara is crying.

But eventually. Amami’s been crushing on Saihara for too long for it not to come up eventually.

For now, though, Amami just lets Saihara cry in his arms, rubbing his back and murmuring the occasional reassurance. He’ll get through it. Amami knows that much, because Saihara is strong. But he doesn’t mind being here when Saihara feels a little weak.

**Author's Note:**

> mmmm.... shuichi angst. hello shuichi angst community i haven't seen you in ages
> 
> as i said in the tags, akifumi saihara is a GOOD PERSON and he loves shuichi very much. but y'know!!! there is fighting in every relationship. they'll get through it and it'll be fine. but it sucks fighting with the people you care about.


End file.
